Funny Monday

As Black History Month comes to an end, let's cool down with a little yoga. Shanti, shanti!

Later this Week (Feb 27- Mar 5)

March 2: Club 3 (Wilmington)

Fierce Wednesdays @ Club 3 starting this Wednesday. No cover, $2 Miller Lites/$3 Rail Drinks: All Night! Also, DJ taking requests all night! Party dedicated to the area's LGBT community and friends! Help spread the word!

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March 4: (Wilmington)

Art on the Town.....
Join us each month for a free self-guided tour of local art galleries, art studios, museums and alternative art spaces on the first Friday of the month during Art on the Town, also known as the Art Loop from 5:30 to 8:00 PM.
[click here for website info]


March 4: (Newark)

Haven's Drag Show
6:00pm - 9:00pm

Bacchus (basement of Perkins Student Center)


This will be Haven's second annual Blue Hen Drag Show, featuring drag performances mostly by UD students!
Admittance is a minimum $5 donation, and all of the proceeds are going to the Trevor Project, a national, 24-hour toll free suicide hotline for LGBT and questioning youth.

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March 5: (Newark)

Karaoke with Anita Mann

9:00pm
The Cube Restaurant
16 Marrows Rd, Newark, DE, 19713


Whether you wanna sing or just watch and mingle, come on out for another edition of "Karaoke with Anita Mann!" No cover, and all ages are welcome! We'll have fabulous drink specials, too. Hope to see you then! And the Cube accepts reservations for larger parties--why not come in early for a delicious dinner? Hope to see you there!

Sunday Reflection

Sunday Reflection: As a magnet finds iron, so will a thankful heart find in every hour, heavenly blessings.

Saturdays at Home

Being that it's the weekend, hopefully you have the luxury of staying home for a moment. With that said, the following link is a beautifully organized and extensive list of cleaning tasks:

Spring Cleaning Checklist

I know... You don't want to think about cleaning. But for some of us, spring cleaning only happens once a year! Haha!

Enjoy your weekend!

New in Wilmington: Fierce Wednesdays

Announcing Fierce Wednesdays @ Club 3 starting this Wednesday. No cover, $2 Miller Lites/$3 Rail Drinks: All Night! Also, DJ taking requests all night! Party dedicated to the area's LGBT community and friends! Help spread the word!

Red Ribbon Runday (AID's DE)

Join us for THE fashion event of the year! Red Ribbon Runway returns for another catwalk with Delaware's hottest fashionistas! The event features a red carpet arrival, cocktail party, silent auction, and fashion show, highlighting some of the best local salons & fashion houses: Currie Hair, Skin & Nails, Emminence Front Day Spa, Michael Christopher, Sherif Zaki, Morgan's of Delaware Avenue, Mystique Boutique, NV Boutique and W...hite House/Black Market. A new VIP hour will begin at 6:00pm, and the full event starts at 7:00pm.


Saturday, February 26 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Barclay's Bank
125 S. West Street
Wilmington, DE




Tickets for VIP (advance only) are $100/person. General tickets are $70 in advance & $85 at door (all ages). Young Professionals (age 35 & under) can purchase advance tickets for $45. For additional information and to purchase tickets visit www.aidsdelaware.org or call 302.652.6776. Tickets are limited, so purchase them today!

2011 Sponsors: Runway Sponsor - Bank of America; Designer Sponsors - Barclays Bank, The Sallie Mae Fund, and Wilmington Trust Company; Vogue Sponsor - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware, First Bank of Delaware, Miller & Shook Cos, and Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A.; Media Sponsor - Out & About Magazine;Trendy Sponsors - Chelsea Tavern, Crimson Moon Tavern, DJ ZIP, Mood Designer Fabrics, Phengo Photography & Design, and Veritas Wine & Spirits; Fasion Sponsors - Currie Hair Skin Nails, Emminence Front Day Spa, Michael Christopher, Morgan's of Delaware Avenue, Mystique Fashion Boutique, NV Boutique, Sherif Zaki Salon & The Oasis Spa, University of Delaware, and White House / Black Market.

Friday Fabulousness

Beyonce and L'Official Magazing pays homage to the African Queens
Happy Black History Month!

Its Tuesday!!!!

Marcus Samuelsson's Red Rooster -- Helga's Meatballs

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

Adapted from "Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine" by Marcus Samuelsson, and currently served at Red Rooster Harlem

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

1⁄2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1⁄4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1⁄2 pound ground chuck or sirloin
1⁄2 pound ground veal
1⁄2 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

FOR THE SAUCE:

1 cup chicken stock
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
1⁄4 cup lingonberry preserves
2 tablespoons juice from Samuelsson's Quick Pickled Cucumbers (may substitute sweet pickle juice)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

FOR SERVING:

Garlic mashed potatoes
Lingonberry preserves
Quick Pickled Cucumbers

Instructions

1. PREPARE MEATBALLS: Combine breadcrumbs and heavy cream in a small bowl, stirring with a fork until crumbs are moistened. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 five minutes, until softened. Remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, veal, pork, onion, honey and egg, and mix well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add breadcrumb-cream mixture and mix well. With wet hands (to keep mixture from sticking), shape the mixture into meatballs the size of a golf ball, placing them on a plate lightly moistened with water. You should have about 24 meatballs.

4. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs, in batches if necessary; cook, turning frequently, for about 7 minutes till browned on all sides and cooked through. Transfer meatballs to a plate; discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet.

5. PREPARE THE SAUCE: Return the skillet to the heat, whisk in the stock, cream, preserves and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through. Serve hot with the mashed potatoes, preserves and pickled cucumbers.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/food/2011/01/15/2011-01-15_marcus_samuelssons_red_rooster__helgas_meatballs.html#ixzz1EkIvy3tr

A musical genius in our Midst.

Mondays are Fun

I wish every wildlife documentary sounded more like this one.

This week in Advance

Tuesday: (2/22)


Volunteers are the heart and soul of the Food Bank of Delaware. Last year, The Food Bank of Delaware hosted more than 15,000 volunteers who donated more than 45,000 hours. This is the equivalent of almost 22 full-time staff members.

Join Delaware Pride as part of our Pride Gives Back program, as we volunteer at the Food Bank of Delaware, all of our volunteer hours are donated to AIDS Delaware to help them with their various programs.

At the Food Bank we do things like sorting food, creating food boxes, stocking their pantry, and many other various things. If it is your first time there, they will go over the basics to get you up and running plus the other volunteers are always willing to lend a hand to help out newcomers.

NOTE: You may get dirty, so please dress accordingly

The Food Bank of Delaware is located at:
14 Garfield Way
Newark, DE 19713

If you have any questions or comments please contact us at:
ContactUs@delawarepride.org


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Thursday: (2/24)

Our Night Out presents An LGBT Happy Hour where anyone is welcomed

Toscana (Wilmington) 6:00pm

Promoting a once a month early evening opportunity at various venues for the LGBT community to gather for networking and socializing in the greater Wilmington, DE area. Next Our Night Out is confirmed for next Thursday, February 24, 6-9. See you all there.

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Saturday: (2/26)

AID's DE presents Red Ribbon Runway


Join us for THE fashion event of the year! Red Ribbon Runway returns for another catwalk with Delaware's hottest fashionistas! The event features a red carpet arrival, cocktail party, silent auction, and fashion show, highlighting some of the best local salons & fashion houses: Currie Hair, Skin & Nails, Emminence Front Day Spa, Michael Christopher, Sherif Zaki, Morgan's of Delaware Avenue, Mystique Boutique, NV Boutique and W...hite House/Black Market. A new VIP hour will begin at 6:00pm, and the full event starts at 7:00pm.

Tickets for VIP (advance only) are $100/person. General tickets are $70 in advance & $85 at door (all ages). Young Professionals (age 35 & under) can purchase advance tickets for $45. For additional information and to purchase tickets visit www.aidsdelaware.org or call 302.652.6776. Tickets are limited, so purchase them today!

2011 Sponsors: Runway Sponsor - Bank of America; Designer Sponsors - Barclays Bank, The Sallie Mae Fund, and Wilmington Trust Company; Vogue Sponsor - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware, First Bank of Delaware, Miller & Shook Cos, and Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A.; Media Sponsor - Out & About Magazine;Trendy Sponsors - Chelsea Tavern, Crimson Moon Tavern, DJ ZIP, Mood Designer Fabrics, Phengo Photography & Design, and Veritas Wine & Spirits; Fasion Sponsors - Currie Hair Skin Nails, Emminence Front Day Spa, Michael Christopher, Morgan's of Delaware Avenue, Mystique Fashion Boutique, NV Boutique, Sherif Zaki Salon & The Oasis Spa, University of Delaware, and White House / Black Market.

Funny Monday

New Link Added!!!

Please welcome Equality Delaware to DE's extraordinary collection of LGBT organizations!

[Equality Delaware]

Click this link above to see their site!

The Double Standard of Sex Partners

When a straight guy has sex, his friends cheer. When a gay guy has sex, he's branded a "whore." Advocate contributor Zack Rosen wants to know: Why the double standard?


SPOILER WARNING: If you're still in the first season of the British Skins, be careful.

COMMENTARY: I'm halfway through the second season of Skins, the recently Americanized British drama that will make you wish you were 15 again so you could take pills and fuck. It is a show about partying, shagging, emotional teens, but it is well-written. The symbolism and syntax are purposeful. That is why I found something particularly interesting the season 1 episode "Michelle." Antihero Tony, who has cheated on his girlfriend with seemingly half of Bristol's available females, finally goes too far by giving his friend Maxxie an exploratory (and painful) BJ while Michelle is passed out in a bed next to them.

Michelle wakes up in the middle and spends the next couple of days waiting for Tony to apologize. He doesn't. She decks him. Though Tony has deserved an ass-kicking since episode 1, Maxxie gets reamed out as well. When he tries to apologize, Michelle calls him "dirty little slut who fucks around with other people's boyfriends." With most shows, I would just find that to be an insensitive double standard, but it's Skins, so it's making a point.

The idea of two men having sex tends to make people uncomfortable. I could fill a post with inadvertently ignorant or hurtful things that the people closest to me have said on the subject of my sex life. My parents, my sister, my straight friends all view gay sex as something that is, if not dirty, a path to physical violence or life-threatening disease. So when gay guys have the exact same amount of sex as a straight counterpart, it is the homo that gets called the slut.

Take this, for example: There are two guys who go out together one night. Both flirt with the people they find attractive, both make out with a couple of them at the bar. Both stumble out together and start talking to a pair of attractive friends at the bar's 3 a.m. "sidewalk sale." Both take one of the friends home and have sex. However, one of those guys is gay and the other is straight. How are their friends' reactions going to differ?

The straight guy's friends will high-five him and ask the details. He'll further his reputation, at least among men, as someone who is enough of a "stud" to always be able to score ass. But the gay guy's friends? They'll call him a whore.

As is proven time and again (frequently by Advocate commenters — thanks, guys), gay men love to call each other whores. And "whore" tends be categorized as "anyone who has had more sex than the person doing the name-calling." I think most gay men out there are brought up to believe that gay sex is something very wrong (often through comments like the one in Skins), and most of us, even the most sexually liberated, have to struggle with the societal implications of being naked with another man. So calling each other whores seems to be the easy way out.

Gay men spend years internalizing negative, homophobic remarks and then turning them against each other. Think there's no connection between the demonization of effeminate men and the number of Grindr profiles asking for "Str8 acting" sex partners? We get taught that our sex is somehow worse than the others'. Then we give it out as bad as we get it to the people around us.

If there is anyone out there who has never had sex and never plans to, then I might be a little more inclined to give them leeway on the language they use. But for everyone else I wanna ask this: If a straight guy can't be a slut, why can you? That word has so many of its own problematic roots, most having to do with misogyny, that retiring it among our own community would be a nice breath of fresh air.

- Zack Rosen is the editor of TheNewGay.net

Equality Delaware Introduces Marriage Equality Bill

Equality Delaware -- a newly formed statewide group -- on Thursday unveiled the first campaign in Delaware to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples.

[click here to read the entire article]

The proposal would apply only to same-sex couples, she said, establishing a parallel relationship to marriage, which would remain limited to opposite-sex couples. Advocates estimated about 700 couples in Delaware might enter civil unions within the first few years after the law took effect.

"We believe right now that we have a great confluence of timing," she said. "Public opinion is strongly in favor of civil unions and we believe we have more than sufficient votes in both houses of the General Assembly to pass a civil union bill."

Goodman said Equality Delaware brings together a coalition of people who have worked for the past two decades on anti-discrimination legislation in the state.

"We've had lots of opportunity to talk to and educate both the public and legislators," she said. "It has been really gratifying to see the movement in people's thinking and understanding about the lack of protection that gay families have under current law."

A little Trans Fabulosity!

Techno Thursday

Felicity Weddings

It's Thursday!... and with the first Town Hall meeting ready for today, I feel its only appropriate to feature a local blog specializing in weddings (even going so far as to acknowledge LGBT weddings) Check it out!

Wednesday's Woman

Wednesday's Woman: Esperanza Spaulding.... Many of us may have just recently Googled this name. But after a recent Grammy win and with Black History Month still in effect, the timing is perfect.

Tasty Tuesday

THAI FISH CURRY

This fish curry tastes so delectable, you won't believe how fast and easy it is - ready in just 20 minutes! Fillets of fish (any type, fresh or frozen) are simmered in a rich Thai curry sauce. The recipe includes vegetables for a healthy one-pot dish. If you like, you can also add shrimp or other seafood to the pot/wok. Like all curries, this fish curry makes excellent leftovers as well as hot lunches to take to work. And it's ready in less than 30 minutes!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

* 3-4 fillets of fresh or frozen fish - any type, from sole to salmon (feeds 2-3 hungry people)
* handful of fresh mushrooms, sliced
* 1 red pepper, de-seeded and diced
* 1 medium tomato, cut into small pieces
* handful of fresh basil
* handful of fresh coriander
* fresh lime or lemon wedges for garnish
* optional: 2-3 kaffir lime leaves, left whole (available at Asian stores, usually in the freezer)
* THAI CURRY SAUCE:
* 1/2 cup fresh coriander stems and leaves, chopped
* 1 can good-quality coconut milk
* 4 green onions, sliced (including green stem)
* 1 thumb-size piece galangal or ginger, grated
* 4 cloves garlic
* 2 Tbsp. fish sauce (available at Asian food stores)
* 1 Tbsp. regular chili powder (use only 1 tsp. if using Thai or East Indian chili powder)
* 2 tsp. ground cumin
* 2 tsp. ground coriander
* 2 tsp. brown sugar (or more to taste)
* 1/2 tsp. turmeric
* 1 tsp. shrimp paste
* 1 fresh red chili, minced, OR 1/2 tsp. cayenne OR dried crushed chili, OR 1-2 tsp.chili sauce

Preparation:

1. Place all 'Thai Curry Sauce' ingredients in a food processor, chopper, or blender. Process well to form a smooth curry sauce.
2. Pour the sauce into a wok (or large frying pan) and place over medium to high heat. If you have kaffir lime leaves, add them too. Bring to a boil.
3. Add fish, mushrooms, and red pepper. Stir well. Reduce heat to medium-high, or until it is simmering nicely. Cover and cook 6-8 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and gently stir in. Continue simmering (covered) for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Do a taste test for salt and sweetness, adding more fish sauce (instead of salt) until salty enough. If too sour for your taste, add a little more sugar. If too salty or sweet, add 1-2 Tbsp. fresh lime (or lemon) juice.
6. Slide the fish with curry sauce and vegetables onto a serving platter or into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with fresh basil and coriander. Garnish with lime or lemon wedges and serve hot with rice. Enjoy!

Find Delaware GLU on Facebook

Delaware GLU: The Facebook Page

Click the link above to become a fan

Equality Delaware's Town Hall Meeting (2/17)

From the desk of Lisa Goodman, President of Equality Delaware:


Dear Friends,

Over the past decade or so, a coalition of individuals and organizations has advocated for equal rights in Delaware for members of the LGBT community. The coalition’s efforts have resulted in the passage of anti-discrimination and hospital visitation bills and raised awareness of other issues facing our community. These issues include discrimination based on gender identity, the absence of domestic partner benef...its for state employees, and the myriad ways in which same-sex couples are denied equal rights when their relationships are denied legal recognition in Delaware.

As we all know, there is still much work to be done. To continue to advocate on behalf of our community, we have decided to formalize our coalition by creating a new organization. Thus was born Equality Delaware, whose mission is to ensure and promote dignity, safety, and equality for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Delawareans. Included with this letter is a list of the initial Equality Delaware Board of Directors and Advisory Council.

Equality Delaware’s first initiative is to advocate for the passage of a civil union bill in Delaware. To that end, we have drafted a bill, and have obtained sponsors for the bill in both houses of the Delaware General Assembly. We are very excited about the bill’s prospects, and would very much like to discuss our organization and the bill with members of our community. We invite you to join us at one of two “town hall” meetings:

*Thursday, February 17, at 5:30 p.m., First & Central Presbyterian Church, 11th and Market Streets, Wilmington

*Saturday, February 19, at 3:00 p.m., Camp Rehoboth Community Center, 37 Baltimore Ave, Rehoboth


Please join us for one of the town hall meetings – community participation and input is vital to our success!

Sincerely,
Lisa Goodman

President, Equality Delaware Foundation, 302-571-6683

Drag Auditions at UD

Copied from their Facebook event page:


Hey everyone!! Just a friendly reminder about the Blue Hen Drag Show Auditions will be held from 5pm-7pm on February 11th in Trabant 206 and February 12th in Trabant 209/211. Remember to have your music and performances ready to go!
We are asking that you have your entire performance ready to perform. You must bring a digital copy of your music to the auditions. You are not required to wear your drag outfits for your audition, but we ask that you bring a picture of you, wearing the outfit, to auditions. Location and other information will be posted as soon as they become available.

To recap, we ask that you physically bring to the auditions:

-> A digital copy of your music

-> Either you in drag, or a picture

-> A prepared skit for audition

Any questions, or if you would like to sign up if you haven’t done so already, contact Colleen Dougherty at: social.programming@udhaven.com

TGIF

Looking ahead to the Fall/Winter of next year.
Because, yes... in the fashion world, we do that!

Christian Siriano's FW11 Collection.

Techno Thursdays

1stdibs.com

This site is one of the most fabulous I've ever encountered.
It's a collection of everything that needs designing: fashion, furniture, interiors.

Just check it out and see for yourself.

Wednesday Woman

Wednesday Woman: Ella Fitzgerald

Happy Black History Month!

Tasty Tuesday: Pickles

This Wednesday: Feb. 9, 2011

Haven's Welcome Back Party
8 pm
The Ewing Room (Perkins Student Center)

Come out to see everyone after a long winter break, reminisce, meet some new people, and hang out with your lovely Haven board members, because we have a semester of fun in store for you all.

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Delaware Pride Community Meeting
@ 7:00 PM
at the Brandywine Town Center
4050 Brandywine Parkway, Wilmington, DE

February finds our meeting at new location with a new feel. We invite you to attend our General Community Meeting, Wednesday, Feb 6th; this meeting will be an opportunity for you to give your views and ideas as Delaware Pride makes plans for its future and preps itself for the 15th Anniversary Delaware Pride Festival to be held in Rehoboth Beach, DE, Sept 17th!! Your opinions and ideas matter, come make a difference by being a part of Delaware Pride and help us celebrate 15 great years!!

Be sure to let everyone know you learned about us from Facebook.

**No Food or Drink Allowed on Premises**

After the meeting, we go to eat.
If you can't make the meeting, join us for dinner.


Any questions or concerns, email us at:
ContactUs@delawarepride.org

Funny Monday

Happy Black History Month.

Funny Monday

Sunday Reflection

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
-- Maya Angelou

Saturdays at Home

Its February.... And you know what that means!!!
It's Orchid blooming season!!

It is imperative to begin by following all the basic care for orchid stated below. They are essential for the successful culture of your orchids. These advices stay identical, whether you cultivate orchids in the house or apartment, the conservatory or greenhouse.
Water: avoid all excess.

- Take care to don’t leave the water in the saucer.
- Use water that is not too hard (without high calcium and magnesium impurities) if possible (except for the Paphios), though be sure to avoid water that has undergone a softening process. The water can, however, be softened by Hydrochloric acid dilution (1/1000: always add the acid to the water following all the required precautions).
Be careful to avoid city-polluted rain water, or that which has come from roofing with pigeon frequentation (bacteria).
- The temperature of the water should be the same as the room, and preferably watered in the morning.
- Never water after a re-potting: for 3 weeks, only moisten the leaves and spray lightly the top soil layer.
Watering Frequency:

During the growth period, 1 to 2 times per week maximum depending on the season, the substrate, and the ambient temperature, but during resting periods, after flowering, reduce watering.

Excessive watering is the principal cause of death to cultivated orchids.
If in doubt, delay watering by a few days.
Temperature: ideally between 64 F to 68 F (18°c to 20°c)

Though at night a lower temperature of at least 9° F (5°c) is necessary to promote the flowering of the orchids!!!
The colder it is, the less watering and ambient humidity is required (in order to avoid rotting and death).
Light: no direct sunlight.

The proximity of a window is obligatory (no further than 3” (1m)).
In summer, filter the sun by fitting a translucent veil or a blind, and in winter, allow direct light by opening the curtains.
Increase light exposure if possible during flowering.
Humidity: the more the merrier!

Relative recommended humidity: minimum 60%.
A hygrometer is very useful.
Here is how to manage things:

* The most important item : a humidifier tray:
* Simply place your orchids on a bed of gravel or on balls of clay that you keep permanently wet without water touching the bottom of the pots.
* Air humidifiers fitted on radiators (to be refilled every day).
* Necessary during hot periods: drenching (spray on the underside of the leaves but never on the heart of the leaves) or spray the top of the soil.

Aeration: avoid air currents.

Nevertheless, a fan is always beneficial and especially placing the plant outdoors in partial shade under a tree from May to early October (with the exception of Phalaenopsis).
The substrate: no soil!!!

Always a mixture of your own composition or a substrate from a store that can guarantee its quality as there are many garden centers that sell a substrate that is too compact.

- If you water frequently: be sure not to use a substrate that is mainly based on fibrous peat as the water retention can be very long and can increase the risk of root rot.
Rather use a substrate made from bark or pieces of coconut, for example.
- If you do not have much time to water: instead use a substrate of peat-based fiber or horticultural rockwool. Please note, however that in cases of complete drying out, these two components are difficult to humidify (due to the long soaking period required).
Fertilizer: to be used wisely.

When using professional fertilizers for orchids, you must accurately respect the recommended proportions, or even dilute them by half or thirds as they are up to 5 times more concentrated than commercial fertilizers.

Rather too little than too much, in order to avoid burning the roots.

If you insist on watering the leaves, here’s a little tip: to help your liquid spray product stick better to the plant, add a few drops of washing up liquid (as it is a wetting agent).
Repotting: in case of absolute necessity

Generally done every 2 to 3 years according to the plant, when it out grows the pot or when the substrate mix has decomposed.
Choosing a pot for the orchid

Preferably a transparent pot: you will find in all respectable garden centers, or you can buy one on the internet most likely for a reduced price.

You can also put your orchids in opaque pots, but you will find it difficult to ascertain the level of moisture inside. Perhaps, it is an economical solution in the short term, but may prove disastrous in the long term if it results in you watering at the wrong time.

Certainly, a good compromise is to use a cachepot which enables you to always check that the roots of your orchid are healthy so that you know immediately whether to irrigate or not. This compromise between a transparent flower pot and cover pot orchid is probably one of the keys to success!

Fridays are Awesome

Patti LuPone rocks out to some Evita

Fabulous Fridays

Wednesday's Woman: Maya Angelou

Happy Black History Month!!

Today we honor Dr. Maya Angelou; writer, poet, leader, activist.

The following are a collection of her quotes. Her wisdom is too numerous to count, please forgive this condensed list.



"All men are prepared to accomplish the incredible if their ideals are threatened."

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage."

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."

"It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength."

"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends."

"Since time is the one immaterial object which we cannot influence - neither speed up nor slow down, add to nor diminish - it is an imponderably valuable gift."

"Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

"When you know better, you do better."

"Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at it destination full of hope."

Tasty Tuesday

Delicious Chocolate Cake


Ingredients:

* Butter, for greasing the pans
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
* 2 cups sugar
* 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.